Seven Minutes In Gardenview (Halloween Edition)
as promised here is the halloween line for the new toons! Gourdy will be excluded on account of him being a child, and while it may be a few days before the endings do come out- as i am waiting on the wiki to update- i am going to go ahead and get the opener out of the way! woo! notes: gn toon reader, pre game, short and sweet opener to get things rolling, this time around there will be no voting- we are going in order of rarity, mostly for time reasons as the admin wishes to get these out before the event ends, potential ooc due to the freshness of the event and the wiki still updating- endings will start to properly roll out in a few days. im actually going to be pissed if an interaction reveals eclipse knows she can eat chocolate/lh word count: 3.3k cws: none
You don't know how they did it, but they managed to make the entire lobby smell strongly of hay and candy corn- a combination that you didn't mind at first, but grew tired of as the weeks leading up to Halloween dragged on. To make the air smell both dry and sugary sweet… it should have been considered a crime, made worse as the air inside the lobby grew drier as the world above became colder with the changing seasons; the breeze from the tunnel chilling everything it came into contact with. The heaters could only do so much, and sometimes (a lot of the time) the human staff were near authoritarian with how a toon dressed. Because how dare someone in a small body not built to radiate and maintain heat slip on a sweater- at least that was the current bitter thought that hung in your mind as you leaned against the railing of the elevator as it crawled back up to the accursed lobby.
A party to celebrate Halloween, mostly orchestrated by Dandy himself- but once the holiday's poster child caught wind of the news, he jumped right into setting decorations. As best as the small pumpkin could at least- Connie was kind enough to skip her typical lethargy to lend a hand where his fell short. Literally and metaphorically- the tree had never looked spookier as it was wrapped in fake spider web and draped with plastic skeletons… which were quickly removed due to how morbid the sight looked, strung up by their necks and all.
Alas that was where Connie's kindness for the day stopped- it wasn't unheard of for the ghost to snoop around and pop up into sight when it was least expected. But with spooky season creeping closer she had become… more persistent- at least that's what you thought, but to everyone else she was still at her normal frequency.
It seemed, for one reason or another the toon had made you her target. It got worse when her brother began to patrol the halls of Gardenview. But she was smart enough to vanish from sight before you could get Soulvester to reel his sister back in.
The entire thing was weird, and you felt totally justified in feeling on edge as you rode the elevator down while clutching a orange bat print plate absolutely filled to the brim with cookies that still radiated warmth and gently reeked of cinnamon and chocolate- butterscotch intertwining as a compliment to the richness of it. The only shame was that you had no pecans to add to the mix but hopefully, no one would mind.
If not, you weren't the only one who had baked something for the party- even if you were the last to arrive… you'd've felt awful for leaving the mess in the kitchen for Tisha to find and tidy.
Not to mention the quick run to your bedroom to slip on one of the few sweaters you actually had in your possession- Gardenview was closed and just about all of the human staff had already clocked out for the night. Though now that you thought about it, did you ever see any staff around once the place closed for the night?
…Weird.
Maybe the main's handler's were around, but even then you've never seen them after closing either.
…Really weird.
But whatever- you could dwell on it once you've balanced your plate of cookies over to the assorted snack table… a task that would prove harder than you once thought as you stepped into the lively and crowded lobby as just about nearly toon in the building- save for the other holiday toons of course- mingled with one another and drifted about doing their own thing.
Or running- a tiny toon nearly slammed into your calf the second you stepped out into the main area of the lobby, before they skidded to a halt. A second small pair of feet slowed to a stop right by you.
"-Sorry! M'sorry!" One of the voices- Gourdy- piped up as he dug his soft green foot into the floor below. No doubt embarrassed as his face tilted down away from you, Toodles squirming on the spot as Pebble- who was standing a few feet away- waited patiently for them to return to their game of chase. "I didn't see you there-" Gourdy added softly.
"I didn't see either-" Toodles piped up.
"You're both fine- just be more careful next time, okay?" The plate of cookies is shifted around in your hands, none had slipped off the plate thankfully. "I don't think I've ever seen everyone in the same place at once like this… definitely more than a little packed, and I'd hate for one of you to get stepped on-"
Alas your warnings seemed to fall on deaf ears as both of the children lock onto the plate of warm cookies in your possession.
They'd both be hopped out on sugar by the end of the night. That much was inevitable, and while Rodger was around to maintain Toodles, you… weren't sure who was going to ensure Gourdy got to bed at a reasonable time.
Regardless, you couldn't quite bring yourself to deny them. "Just one- at least until I can get this set down at the table," The second you lowered yourself for them they made a grab for the treats.
"I can take it to the table!" Gourdy offered as his clawed hand hooked around a soft cookie.
One. Two.
…A third cookie suddenly drifted into the air.
"…Connie." You mumbled softly- although you weren't expecting her to reveal herself.
She did, with a snicker.
"I'm just making sure things get to the table without any issue, can't a girl be helpful?"
Right. One cookie at a time.
It was the little things like that that got under your skin. You'd almost prefer for her to be outright malicious but Connie, at least with how she behaved around you, wasn't that kind of toon.
You actually half expected her to reach for another cookie to commit to the bit. Connie didn't, instead drifting over slowly to where her brother had sat himself stationed at the snack table- sword gripped in his hand in an almost protective stance. A knight has to have something to protect, you supposed.
Gourdy cleared his little throat, turning your attention back to his offer.
"It's fine- why don't you and Toodles go on and keep playing? I'm sure the both of you are dying to get back to your game… and it looked like Pebble is too," A sideways glance to the stone who was still wagging his rocky tail eagerly, poised up on the tips of his feet and ready to bolt at any sudden movement.
They didn't need to be told twice- running towards the dog, cookies still in hand, to resume their game. One could only hope the worst thing they'd experience tonight was dropping their cookies on the carpet and potentially staining it with the still gooey baking chips.
On your heel you spun back to the snack table- near the entrance of the lobby's hall; a sea of toons between your current location and your destination.
The journey only lasted for another minute or two before you're faced with another obstacle- another toon. Ribecca- not to make it sound like you disliked her. In fact you quite enjoyed her pointers in fashion on the rare chance you got to see her during the year.
It really was kind of messed up that the holiday toons became reclusive once their time was up… it made one start to wonder just how much free will everyone was given… but why think of that now when you're surrounded by friends who will be gone by the end of the season- before that, actually. You don't recall sitting next to Gourdy during Thanksgiving.
…Maybe that was for the best when there was pumpkin pie on the table.
You nearly offered her a cookie on the spot, it'd feel awkward if you walked by without doing so… until you remembered that she was just bones. Ribecca, to your knowledge, has never eaten anything and does not possess the ability to do so.
Instead your hand flicked up, halfway raised and stilled in the air in perhaps the most awkward gesture to ever be communicated in the history of anything ever. Even worse, your fingers were already preemptively curled to point to the cookies in your grasp.
"Ah- wait-" An awkward huffed laugh as you forced your hand to clumsily support the side of the platter once more. "I… might have forgotten for a second-"
Ribecca took it in stride, offering a faint shrug. "Don't worry about it, things happen," Her bones clicked gently into the air as she shifted her weight between her feet. "Honestly it's probably better this way, I've seen how messy those little chips can be."
She had a point.
Melted chocolate chips always seemed to have a knack for finding themselves smeared around just about anything they've been around- you swear there'd still be some smeared along your lips even after aggressively trying to scrub your lips clean.
Horrid little things. Yet they were delicious and a favorite, a simple burden.
"But your baking always smells so good- hate to have to pass it,"
"You've got a point though!" Your feet shimmied around on the carpet under them, tugging small bumped onto the material- you always hated when that happened. More awkward shifting. Even more to keep the cookies from slipping and sliding all over the place. "I mean, I really like this sweater but I'm pretty sure I'm going to find some butterscotch on it the moment I drop this off at the snack table-"
Connie had already left the space, leaving Soulvester alone to guard it.
"-you think I'm gonna have to sneak these past Soulvester? He looks… attentive…"
He stood as straight as a pin, sword clenched tightly in his gloved hands.
"He's mostly making sure Yatta doesn't destroy the entire thing before anyone else gets a chance to take anything. Heard she's already visited the table three times in the past ten minutes."
…She was exaggerating, right?
…She wasn't…
"Ah.."
"By the way," Ribecca turned her eyes back to you.
They looked nice. Her eye shadow was always perfect, and the dripping makeup always looked neat to you… but it felt… odd… seeing a skeleton with normal eyeballs- was that a rude thing to think? Definitely a rude thing to say.
"Is that a new sweater?" Her bony finger pointed to the front- and you move the cookies out of the way just enough to show her. A nod.
"Yeah!" All too excited, but- "Shelly actually made it, she figured it'd be nice to get into knitting alongside sewing- honestly? This might just be one of the coziest sweaters I've had in a long time!"
Not that you had many to begin with.
"I might just have to hunt her down and ask her if she's willing to throw something together with me… you look nice in that." Ribecca took a step back and got a good look at you. A really good look- you couldn't help but squirm under her stare as her lidded eyes (which were now just slightly squinted) raked across your entire figure.
Really the entire thing felt oddly intimate for just a moment of observation. Ribecca's jaw clicked against her skull, snapping you back to the moment.
"Well… If I find her first I'll let her know you want to see her," The plate of cookies is jostled lightly. "I'll keep you updated, but.."
Her eyes joined yours on the cookies.
"I won't keep you waiting-"
"I just don't want to get it all messy, you know,"
She knew. And she was kind enough to let you go without more attempts at conversation- one obstacle pushed through, only countless more to go.
The giggles of Gourdy and Toodles drifted through the spooky music that filled the lobby, only overshadowed by Pebble's eager bark snapping right through it with ease- like a hot knife through butter. For something so tiny, he sure knew how to make some noise and draw attention to himself.
Funnily enough another canine capable of drawing attention to herself… failed to make you aware of her presence as you nearly tripped on her tail- in an instant Eclipse snatched her tail up into the air, tucked carefully behind her back.
"I am so sorry- I didn't realize you were right behind me!" Her surprise nearly came out like a half-bark. Snout lightly creased as her paws flung to the outer edge of the platter to keep the entire thing from toppling out of your hands. She smelled vaguely of… pine. Pine and dirt. Like a dog- but not in the bad way. Eclipse smelled nice actually. At least you thinks that what a dog would smell like; the real ones, the ones with fur and stuff.
"No- no no it's fine, I should have been paying more attention… so many toons here.." You mumbled as the cookies slid and settled against one another. Crisis averted. "..Do you want one?"
Eclipse stared hard at the cookies for a moment, before her ear twitched. "It's got chocolate, I don't think I can have that-"
Right.
Wolf.
"Ah-" You suck the inside of your cheek- "I knew I should have made peanut butter cookies too- feels like every goodie nowadays has some chocolate in it,"
You were only partially joking- but now that you thought about it… how many times did you see chocolate left around from the visitors who apparently didn't know what a trash can was? Definitely a lot more often than the other candies in Gardenview. Granted the chocolate offered was far from the best… you swear it had a weird pukey aftertaste but no one seemed to believe you.
Eclipse perked up- "You'd do that?"
"I wouldn't mind, I mean… I've been trying to get more into baking, been practicing since last Christmas- actually…"
Didn't you bring cookies for the last party Dandy decided to host or were you misremembering? No, wait, it had to be you bringing down one of the batches Cosmo made- that had to be it? No wait-
"I'd love to be your taste tester then! Yatta was actually just telling me about your baking, she's got me all excited too," Eclipse grinned and bared her sharp teeth at you. Sharp and white and big and-
Why exactly did they think it was a good idea to give an over excitable wolf toon big teeth? Not that you found Eclipse herself intimidating… most of the time… but you never really took the time to notice how prominent her canines were.
"Maybe I can see if Dyle can get his hands on carob, I hear that's a good chocolate replacement for dogs," You purse your lips. "…though I'm not entirely sure if carob chips are a thing… guess we'll find out if I can get a minute with him!"
"Oh you're the best!" Eclipse's tail pulled itself away from the back of her leg, and wagged gently in the air. "I could lend a hand too! I've been wanting to get into baking too… but…" Her fingers ran through her fur. "I shed,"
Eclipse actually shed a lot.
You found a few stray blue hairs already clinging onto your knitted sweater by the time the scent of the still fresh treats at the snack table hit your nose. If anything it was a little impressive how the fluff seemed to get everywhere… and now sparing the cookies.
"Halt!"
Soulvester's helmet swiveled towards you- sharply and just as attentive as ever. He stood alone now with his sword still clutched in his gloved hands. Sure enough a dent had already been made in the collection of snacks on the table.
Noticeably, Soulvester relaxed when he realized it was just you- his heavy steps sounded firm against the floor as he stepped to the side to give you more than enough room for you to try to squeeze the cookie platter onto the table.
"I take it Yatta's already made a dent in your hoard?" You teased softly, giving him a lopsided smile… was that… the right term? Word? Hoard? Treasury? Bounty? No bounty definitely wasn't right-
Soulvester's visor fell with a sharp click half a second after you smiled at him.
"Did you just grease that up?"
Soulvester's hand tightened its grip on his sword. "As a knight I must maintain the state of my armor," For a suit of armor that was actually just a ghost puppeteering it- an entity notorious for not having muscle or bone- you could just about feel the tenseness in his jaw as he remained rooted firmly to the spot on the carpet.
…But he was a toon first and a ghost second- and a knight third. So actually-
He made zero move to lift his visor up, and while the temptation to reach forward and push it up was there… you kept your hands to yourself.
Again like habit, you nearly offered Soulvester a cookie- honestly even if the rejections were valid (not that you'd forcefully shove a baked good down someone's throat if they weren't) you had to admit, it stung a little.
You knew he could eat, but if he would was an entirely different question. At least you assumed he could eat, Connie could. You think.
…Now that you think about it, did you actually see Connie bite into the cookie she had taken?
"I will refuel myself once everyone has received their share,"
You didn't need to see his eyes to know he was looking at the cookies too- he had followed your gaze, helmet visibly tilted downwards to stare at your platter.
"It's just a party," You wanted to say, but you remained tight lipped as your hands find themselves at your sides.
His service was incredibly important to him, you knew that. You knew that well, actually. Really trying to convince him to back down and just let his guard down for tonight was going to be a losing battle, and as much as you enjoyed his company, you did want to make the most of tonight before the energy started to simmer back down.
So instead, you wave Soulvester goodbye and mumble a quiet praise for his hard work on protecting the goods for tonight as you made your way to the rapidly growing congregation around Dandy- who was holding a giant sack. Burlap and filled with God knows what, lumpy.
"About time you showed up Dewdrop!"
"What's going on?" You mumbled softly to the toon next to you- Vee.
"He wants us to play seven minutes in Heaven." She sounded totally and completely uninterested as she fiddled with the mic, fingers looped around the cord as she wiped away faint smudges on the handle.
"Of course you don't haaaaaaaave to play, but we all figured you should go first- since you were the last to show up tonight," He winked. "Last one there rules, sorry I don't make them up."
…Yes he did??
What choice did you have?
…Okay well you had the choice to back out and just sit out the game- a few of the other toons were already sitting around doing their own thing so at least you wouldn't be the only one not playing- but…
You chew the inside of your cheek.
You did say you wanted to have some fun tonight, didn't you?
Dandy present the opening of the sack to you- dark, you can't see anything inside… and slowly you reach your hand forward and a second later wrap your fingers around something, and pull out…